Capital Ward News

1 September 2017

I hope residents of Capital Ward had a good summer and got to enjoy some vacation time. The season is always too short. Just as many people are now heading back to work or school, City Hall is returning to business as usual. That means projects are gearing up, decisions need to be made, a budget drafted and public meetings held on various issues and proposals. You’ll find a selection of each in this “mini” newsletter.

At last, construction is set to begin on the Rideau Canal crossing between Fifth Ave. and Clegg St., providing a safe and convenient link for pedestrians and cyclists travelling between the Glebe and Old Ottawa East / Old Ottawa South.

Work begins on the west side in mid-September, followed by the east side about a month later. A ceremonial groundbreaking event will be held at a date to be determined.

This initial work includes construction of a clearly signed and paved pathway detour on the west side of the Canal along Queen Elizabeth Dr. between Third and Fifth Aves., followed by installation of fencing, tree protection, and trailers.

On the east side, Colonel By Dr. will be realigned near Clegg, and a clearly signed pathway detour will be provided between Clegg and Herridge Sts., with a signalized crossing at Herridge.

Pier work will begin in mid-October, once the water level in the canal is lowered. This work is not expected to affect use of the canal for skating or boating.

Required tree removal or relocation will begin in November, unless necessary to install trailers, and water main work will take place next summer.

A Traffic Control Plan is being designed to minimize disruption during peak commuter hours. The project is expected to be substantially completed by the end of August 2019.

Interim Control By-law (ICB) 2017-245, which put a one-year freeze on so-called bunkhouses, has been amended to include the area bounded by Bronson Ave., Third Ave. and the Rideau Canal in the Glebe. When it was introduced in July, the by-law applied only to areas in Old Ottawa East, Old Ottawa South, Heron Park, Sandy Hill, Centretown, Lowertown and Overbrook.

The intent of the by-law is to end the practice of splitting single-family homes into multiple units, by controlling the size of dwelling units and the number bedrooms within such units in low-rise buildings zoned R1, R2, R3 or R4. The ICB stipulates that:

No dwelling unit in any building other than a detached dwelling may contain more than four bedrooms, and the unit may not exceed a floor area of 120 square meters,

No detached dwelling may contain more than six bedrooms, and

No building with six or fewer dwelling units may exceed a floor area of 500 square meters measured from the inside of the exterior walls, including the basement, vehicle storage area and any other building area.

The one-year freeze is to allow the City’s Planning team to review the zoning for multi-unit dwellings in residential neighbourhoods to allow for suitable infill development projects. The ICB will be in place until July 12, 2018, but may be extended by Council for an additional year if deemed necessary.

The City of Ottawa is holding a community information and comment session about the proposal to develop 667 Bank St. into a five-storey, mixed-use building with retail on the ground floor and 12 apartment units above. The property, at the corner of Clemow Ave., is in a heritage conservation district.

City staff and the applicants for the development proposal will be in attendance to answer questions.

Residents are invited to an information session I am hosting on the plan to redevelop the Southminster United Church property.

The proposal is to retain the existing church building and renovate the basement to house community uses. Memorial Hall would be demolished and replaced with four three-storey townhouses and a 14-unit, six-storey apartment building.

At the meeting, a Southminster Church congregation leader will introduce the project, and City staff and the applicants for the development proposal will be in attendance to answer questions.

The City of Ottawa and Councillor Riley Brockington are hosting a community information session on the development proposal for the new Civic Hospital campus to be built at the Sir John Carling site, on the south side of Carling Ave. just west of Dow's Lake.

The evening will include an overview of the project and the Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment applications, a presentation on The Ottawa Hospital's response to comments received to date, a panel discussion, and information on how members of the public can engage in the process as it progresses. City and Hospital staff will be on site to answer questions.

Given my opinion column in the Ottawa Citizen last winter regarding the need to take a more progressive approach to parking and transportation to/from/at hospitals, I found this very recent post by the Ottawa Hospital Foundation intriguing. It seems their vision is very similar to mine, not just in terms of transportation options, but in a very “green”, low-carbon, healthy approach to building.

The Glebe Community Association is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a free, family-friendly community party with fun for all ages, from hands-on kids activities to trivia questions that take older residents down memory lane. There will be music, refreshments and of course a birthday cake.

The heart of the celebration will be the creation of a new work of art for the Glebe Community Centre. Join artist Kathrin Von Dehn in a participatory art project on the theme “Glebe is Community”.

Residents may also share their comments by sending an email directly to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., by tweeting @ottawacity using the hashtag #ottbudget, or by contacting my office.

Use the Citizen Budget tool to provide feedback on City services, to understand how property tax dollars are spent, and to see how changes in spending would affect your tax bill.